Are the times with my children repeating themselves
Do children become their parents?
I was watching my daughter with her daughter (my granddaughter of course) the other day and I realized something. As the children grow up they become their parents! Yes, I had to go there and touch upon that subject. I also realized that the children are all the same, just the names have been changed (to protect the innocent?). They look like their parents, they sound like their parents did as children, and they behave like their parents did as children. This is a hypothetical situation because I have no way of knowing how my parents behaved as children. As I am sure you do not know about your parents as children.
It was a typical February day.....
The day was a typical day in late February.
A bit of snow was falling and it was cold. The house was a bit cluttered. The child’s room was a lot more so. My daughter was cleaning the child’s room and commenting continuously about what she was finding as she cleaned. The child was at some event or other for the day. When the child came home, my daughter confronted her about the things she had found in the room.
Do you remember the "I don't know" answer?
The conversation went something like this:
Mother: “I found candy wrappers in your room when I cleaned today. How did they get there?”
Daughter: “I don’t know.”
Mother: “I found my necklace in your room when I cleaned today. How did IT get there?”
Daughter: “I don’t know.”
Mother: “I found my missing book, several empty snack bag wrappers, the missing remote for the TV downstairs and three dirty cups in your room? How DID THEY get there?”
Daughter: “I don’t know.”
Mother: “They were in your room, how could you not know?”
Daughter: “I don’t know."
The conversation went on, as you can imagine, but you get the idea of what I mean. When my daughter was that age and I cleaned her room and then confronted her about what I found, the usual answer was “I don’t know”. I wonder if there is a pattern there.
What do I wear?
Does this scenario sound familiar to you?
Anyway,
As the evening went on, my daughter looked at my granddaughter and told her to get ready for bed.
The answer: “I don’t know what to wear!”
Mother: “Pajamas, of course!”
Daughter: “But which ones?”
Mother: “Whatever ones you want to put on. How can that be such a hard task?”
Daughter: “I don’t know if I should dress warmly or in cool pajamas or if I should put on a nightgown.”
Mother: “It doesn’t matter, just put something on!”
Daughter: “Waaaawaaawaaaa, I don’t know what to put on!”
Mother: “Aghaaaaghaaaagh!”
My granddaughter was watching television.....
Have you ever had a similar experience?
Finally,
The pajama dilemma was addressed and my granddaughter was in her pajamas and quietly watching TV before bed. A commercial came on and my daughter told her to go brush her teeth and get the hair brush so my daughter could brush and re-braid her hair.
Daughter: “I can’t, I need to watch the rest of this!"
Mother: “It’s a commercial, go brush your teeth and bring me the brush for your hair.”
Daughter: “But what if I miss something?”
Mother: “If you go right now you will have plenty of time.”
Daughter: "But I don’t want to miss anything.”
Mother: “Go brush your teeth now, before the show comes back on!”
Daughter: “But what if I miss something?”
Mother: “GO!”
Daughter: “Waaawaaawaaaa, I don’t want to! I might miss something!”
Mother: “Get in that bathroom right now before I turn off the TV!”
Daughter: “Waawaawaaa, I wanted to finish the show!” as she drags herself to the bathroom like a dejected dog and slowly brushes her teeth finding every problem possible during the process.
Mother: “The show is back on, what is taking you so long?”
Daughter: “I’m trying, I knew I’d miss something, waawaawaaa!”
Now I'll never get to see what happens! (Ok so it's not the kid but what the hey, the action is the same, right?)
Would you laugh if this happened to you?
Thinking back...
Well, I sat in my little corner and tried not to show my feelings, but a trickle of laughter escaped every now and then as the memories flooded back. Suddenly, I was the one telling my daughter to go brush her teeth, etc. while she argued that she would miss something. Of course as the argument went on, the commercials are running and time is running out before the show starts back up. I had never thought I would get the chance to see a rerun of that particular scene, but there it was, in 'Technicolor' you might say, as my daughter grew angry and my granddaughter cried. I wonder if I would have the patience to handle that situation right now......
A funny sunset....
Peace at last???
Peace has fallen on the household as the child finally retires to her room for the night. I look at my daughter and snicker. She asks me what is so funny, but I know that I can’t tell her because she won’t believe me; so I smile knowingly and tell her "nothing, I was just thinking of a funny sunset I had seen". I wonder--is that why grandparents always seem to be smiling?
Disclaimer.....
Remember, the children are all the same, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent!
Memories, I did not think I would see them as reruns of raising my own children.
Now I sit at my computer and I wonder. Was I really that bad to my parents? Was my daughter that difficult to me? Did I get that frustrated with my little girl? The answer to all of those questions is probably a huge YES. So, I will take enjoyment in seeing my grandchildren grow up. I will enjoy the times I get to spend with them. And I will enjoy the scenes that will bring back pleasant, and not so pleasant, memories of a time gone by.
